(As Delivered)
Buenos días, mis amigos.
Thank you, Pastor Sam, for having me here today. And congratulations on 25 years of the NHCLC.
We had the honor of hosting Pastor Sam at our Never is Now Conference in New York earlier this year -- and he was a rock star! The crowd loved him -- just as much as we all do.
Pastor Sam, we met as strangers, and today I think of you like a brother.
Thank you to Pastor Juan Rivera -- you have stood up for Israel and the Jewish people, even when it wasn’t easy. Gracias. Also, thank you to Becky Hernandez, NHCLC's executive director, for the work behind the scenes that makes this partnership real. Gracias.
And I also want to give a warm hello to Pastor Ryan from Victory Outreach Third Wave in Hollywood. He welcomed me to services on a Sunday…and in that room, I saw young people, families, and people singing and moving…and feeling joy and love together as one.
It is not my faith. A lot of it was not in my language. But I understood it all -- I know that feeling of something bigger than yourself…of connectivity and spirituality… That Sunday stayed with me. And I look forward to visiting more of your congregations this year.
I have the privilege of leading the ADL. Since 1913, our mission has been to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.
In my work, I have spoken at the conferences of many civil rights organizations. But a year ago, I came to stand on this stage, and I saw something I had never seen before.
Never once had I seen a non-Jewish community devote so much of its agenda to antisemitism.
It was a true embodiment of what we learn in Leviticus, to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is an important passage.
In fact, a great rabbi once was asked centuries ago to explain the entire Hebrew bible on one foot.
He thought. And he said: “love your neighbor as yourself. The rest is commentary. Now go and study.”
My friends, together, we have put our own twist on that age-old wisdom. Yes, we study. Yes, we pray. But we also go -- and do. We make that love for each other real.
Our partnership is essential. Because the challenges we face are hard.
In 2025, ADL recorded 6,274 antisemitic incidents across America. It was the third-highest year since we began counting in 1979, and one of the most violent.
Pastor Sam often says, “We are what we tolerate.”
And we will not tolerate antisemitism.
So what have we done -- together?
We built resources. New sermon and prayer guides that give pastors practical tools to speak up against antisemitism and stand with the Jewish community -- online, in the pews and in the public square.
We built relationships, face to face, in your churches. And we are already planning visits to your congregations all the way through next year.
You know, after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, too many of our partners went quiet when we needed them. Some turned their backs entirely.
You did not.
You’ve been with us.
And as we look to our second year of working together, I’m proud to announce that ADL and NHCLC are expanding our partnership.
Together, we’ll urge Congress to pass bipartisan Safe Worship legislation, which would create a safe access zone around churches, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship.
We will launch a new Sunday school curriculum in English and Spanish that celebrates the Land of Israel and the Jewish people, so families can learn about Jewish history and our connection to Israel.
We will connect your churches with synagogues through Kulanu, ADL’s national network of Jewish congregations.
But there’s more we can do, one on one…person to person…neighbor to neighbor.
So invite a Jewish neighbor to your Sunday meal. And I hope you can join them for a Shabbat dinner.
Build bridges.
Make connections.
I pray that one day, every synagogue in America has a church down the road it can call when they need help.
And the same goes the other way too.
That is the America we are building. Pastors who stand up against hate. Young Christians and Jews who stand shoulder to shoulder. And neighbors who become friends.
Twenty-five years ago, no one would have predicted a Jewish organization, and the largest Hispanic Christian network would stand together like this. Imagine what we will build in the next 25.
Gracias. Que Dios los bendiga.
Jonathan Greenblatt with Rev. Samuel Rodriguez at NHCLC Summit